Klarinet Archive - Posting 000111.txt from 1995/03

From: Michiya Nishino <mnishino@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: Lip protection
Date: Fri, 3 Mar 1995 22:36:16 -0500

> Some people use a physical buffer on their lower teeth to prevent their lower
> lip from being cut or bruised, especially if they have inordinantly sharp
lower
> teeth. I've seen players use paper from the florist, although I use a piece
of
> simple 3 X 5 index card, torn approximately into a rectangle of the right

Regarding physical buffers on the lower teeth: I fold a small piece of
denture padding over my bottom teeth to protect my lower lip. I started
doing this two years ago--when I was still using the "corners back"
embouchure. Pulling the corners back and applying pressure on the reed
with my bottom lip caused my lip to be cut. However, I'm currently in
the process of changing my embouchure to improve my sound (something I
really need work on!), and I found that this new method--pushing the
corners in and using the lower lip as a pad on which the reed
rests--alleviates some of the pressure that the teeth put on my lip. My
attempts at decreasing the *angle* of the mouthpiece in the mouth also
have helped reduce the pressure on my lip (I'm in the habit of having the
reed on *top* of my teeth [with the lip in between]--I'm trying to move
the face of the reed closer to the *side* of my lower teeth).

I still use the denture pads as a "security blanket," and I don't know
how much it is affecting my tone; however, modifying the embouchure may
help reduce some of the pain on the lips.

Michiya Nishino